


A Figment of My Imagination

by TaleasOldasTimeandSpace



Series: Yet Another Gratuitously Fluffy Darcyland Soulmate AU [13]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Balrog the Bilgesnipe, Darcyland, F/M, SHIP DARCY WITH ALL THE THINGS, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, WinterShock - Freeform, balrog thinks bucky's arm is a chew toy, bucky thinks he's insane, darcy thinks they're both adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-22 01:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8266930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaleasOldasTimeandSpace/pseuds/TaleasOldasTimeandSpace
Summary: Just when Bucky thinks he's fully recovered from being the Winter Solider, he starts seeing a horrible creature around the tower that has him questioning his sanity.The toasted marshmallow can't catch a break.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For [storybuyer](http://archiveofourown.org/users/storybuyer/pseuds/storybuyer), who provided the prompt. 
> 
> I am actually working through the prompts I receive, just at the lightning speed of congealing molasses. But I wanted to get this finished so that I could post it on my birthday, in the venerable Hobbit tradition of gift-giving. I made it with just under an hour to spare *yay*.

If you’d asked Bucky how he was doing a month ago, the answer would have been, ‘Not bad, all things considered.’  Three months before that, he’d decided he was finally safe to be around other people, and let Steve ‘find’ him and bring him back to the Tower.  It’d taken him a while after that to ease into actually spending time around the other Avengers, but after those three months he’d felt almost normal.

As normal as formerly-brainwashed assassin with a metal arm living seventy years into the future could be, anyway.

But just when he’d finally decided he was no longer a danger to himself and others—mostly others—he’d started seeing _it,_ and his hopes for a normal(ish) life promptly flew out the window of one of the top floors of the Tower.  After all, you can’t say you’re in perfect mental health when you’re hallucinating hellbeasts.

It started as a brief glimpse out of the corner of his eye, just enough to give him a feeling of _wrongness,_ but never enough to give him a clear idea of whatever it was.  Usually it was just an impression of scales, far too many teeth, and, inexplicably, antlers.  After a while, it graduated to sitting just in his line of vision, staring at him with unnervingly intelligent golden eyes.  It was like nothing he’d seen or imagined before, which was a pretty good indication he was farther gone than he’d first thought.

He began to spend less time around the other Avengers, particularly Steve—the little punk had always been too observant for Bucky’s comfort—lest one of them ask what he was always staring at.  Somehow, he doubted ‘hellbeast’ was the answer of a functional member of society.

It was when he woke to find the creature _chewing on his arm_ —the metal one, thankfully, although he doubted it would make a difference to a hallucination—that he realized sanity was a lost cause.  He didn’t even bother getting up, just flopped back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.  ‘So this is how I go out—with a whimper and a padded cell.’  He eyed the hellbeast, which was happily salivating all over his arm.  ‘At least I’ll have you to keep me company, right, pal?’  The creature made a weird chuffing noise, but didn’t release his arm.  Bucky went back to staring at the ceiling.

It was a really boring ceiling.  No cracks or patterns or anything.  Obviously Tony spent too much money on the tower.

‘Balrog, how many times do I have to tell you not to go in other people’s rooms?  How did you get in here, anyway?  Please don’t tell me you’ve learned how to open doors…oh dear.’

Bucky tore his attention from the ceiling to see an angel standing in the doorway of his room.  She had curly, chocolate brown hair and bright blue eyes framed by heavy black glasses.  She was absolutely gorgeous, and she was staring at him in horror.

The quality of his hallucinations was improving.

He gave her a crooked grin.  _‘Doll, I really wish you were real.  I wouldn’t even mind if that meant the hellbeast was real too, as long as you were.’_

She blinked, then frowned.  ‘ _I was going to apologize for the fact that my bilgesnipe is using your arm for a chew toy, but hey, if that’s the way you want to play it…’  S_ he wiggled her fingers at him.  ‘ _This is all a dream.’_

It took a moment for what she said to register, and by then she had disappeared into his living room.  He sat up abruptly.  ‘Wait, what did you just say?’

She reappeared in the doorway and made a brief waving motion with her hand.  ‘These are not the droids your looking for.’

‘Number one, I’ve actually seen Star Wars, thank you very much, and number two, if you’re my soulmate, then that means the hellbeast is real too.’  He grinned.  ‘And _that_ means I’m not crazy after all!’  Tugging his arm free of the creature’s mouth, he added, ‘But in that case, I’d like my arm back now.’

The angel walked to the corner of his bed and sat down with a huff.  ‘Of course you’re not crazy.  And Balrog’s not a hellbeast, though between you and me that’s not the worst thing he’s been called.’

Bucky quirked an eyebrow.  ‘Then what is Balrog, exactly?  Besides being one of the monsters in The Lord of the Rings?’

She clapped slowly.  ‘Nice catch.  Let me guess—you read it when it first came out?’

‘Nah.  The Fellowship of the Ring was published in ‘54, and I was already splitting my time between being a brainwashed assassin and being a frozen assassin by then.  I found a one-volume copy in a thrift store while I was avoiding Steve after DC and read it then.’

She shrugged.  ‘Fair enough.  Balrog’s a bilgesnipe.  He’s originally from Asgard, like Thor.  His parents were killed when he was a baby and I adopted him.  He’s been dying to meet you since you moved into the Tower, but you always ignored him.  I guess he decided to take matters into his own claws.’

He reached out cautiously and patted Balrog on the head.  The bilgesnipe made the chuffing noise again, and his eyes fell half-shut.  ‘Sorry about that, pal.  I thought you were a hallucination.’

The angel snickered.  ‘Well, you did miss the alien invasion, so I guess we can give you a pass.  Just this once.’

‘So what do I call you, Doll?’

She smirked.  ‘Can’t say that I object to “doll,” but for everyday purposes, I’m Darcy Lewis, Bilgesnipe Tamer, Scientist Whisperer, and Avengers Wrangler Extraordinaire.’  She gave a mock bow.  ‘And I already know you’re Bucky Barnes, War Hero, Ex-Assassin, Falcon Heckler, and Captain America Wrangler Extraordinaire.  It’s almost like we’re made for each other.’

‘In that case…’  He grabbed her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it, watching with satisfaction as her cheeks turned pink.  ‘Would you care to go dancing with me, Miss Lewis?’

‘Why Sergeant Barnes, I think that sounds swell.’

**Author's Note:**

> Clint was the one who let Balrog into Bucky's room. He caught a glimpse of Bucky's Soulmark and figured he'd...facilitate a little. Thankfully, Blarog has not yet learned how to open doors. Although if the raptors in Jurassic Park can do it...
> 
> And Darcy's summary of Balrog's backstory just made me realize that it's awfully close to Batman's. There's some crack possibilities there, I just know it.
> 
> I apologize for how long it's been since I posted a new Darcy fic. I've been enjoying Real Life. And by enjoying I mean searching for a job, working a temporary job, and fighting a three-week bout of pneumonia. Fun was had by all. 
> 
> But I also managed to update two of my long-neglected WIPs, so that's something.
> 
> As always, you can leave a prompt below or [shoot the breeze](https://taleasoldastime-andspace.tumblr.com/ask) on my tumblr. No smut, slash, or polyships, please and thank you.
> 
> Until next time, my little bilgesnipes!


End file.
